Quakers relying more on their defense

Monday

LEETSDALE – Whenever the Quaker Valley boys basketball team has stepped on the court this season, no matter the opponent, they’ve had a certain number in mind.

45.

That’s the number that the Quakers try to hold their opponents to each and every game, and so far through the 2018-19 season, they’ve only had five teams score more in a game.

In fact, prior to Friday night’s surprising 70-69 loss to Blackhawk, the Quakers were ranked first in the WPIAL in points allowed per game with 43. Now, after suffering that overtime setback, the Quakers are ranked second at 45.5, behind Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which has allowed 45.3 per points per game after Friday’s win over Mohawk.

“We really pride our self on our defense,” senior forward Danny Conlan said. “Once we get into a rhythm on that end, it kind of comes to us on offense. We can run, rebound, and get up and down the court because that’s the way we like to play.”

Over the past two seasons, the Quakers have been known for their offensive prowess on the basketball court. They've accumulated a record of 51-6, winning 25 or more games in both seasons, and also put up their highest and second highest points per game totals in the past 10 years.

From Amos Luptak in 2016-2017 to Coletrane Washington last season and a great supporting cast around them, the Quakers have never been short on offensive talent. They pushed the ball up and down the court at will, surpassing the 75-point mark in 24 games and never lost a game when they scored 70 points or more.

But, when longtime head coach Mike Mastroianni looked ahead to this season after the Quakers fell to Sharon in the Class 4A PIAA semifinals in March, he looked to areas where they could improve.

“We had had really outstanding seasons over the past few years, and we needed to figure out how we could get better,” Mastroianni said. “We figured that would be one of the areas. Really, the credit goes to our senior class, because they are really taking a sense of pride in that piece. To be good at it, it’s something that has to happen every day and every day in practice they are taking the same amount of pride in it that they do on Tuesdays and Fridays.”

Along with having the mentality of succeeding on the defensive end of the court, the Quakers have a roster filled with length, size and quickness. Thirteen players are listed at 6’0" or taller, and Jonathan Weir, Ryan Stowers and Conlan, are all listed at 6-foot-5.

While long arms and tall defenders can take up room in the paint, Mastroianni also has a few on-ball defenders like KC Johns, Adou Thiero, Jackson Zernich and others who have been suffocating ball handlers and sharp shooters all season long.

“We’ve been so big the past few years, we haven’t had many on-the-ball defenders,” Mastroianni said. “I think where our improvement is, is we have multiple on-the-ball defenders, and that’s a big thing in high school basketball. Pressuring the ball over 32 minutes.”

In fact, through their first 10 games, only two players scored 15 or more points against Quaker Valley. Wilimington’s Tage Kelliher scored 17 points when the Greyhounds scored 54 total points, and West Allegheny’s Jackson Faulk scored 19 of his team’s 46 points when the two teams met up over the holiday break.

“It’s just the defensive preparation in practice,” senior forward Ryan Stowers said. “Just knowing their skills and weaknesses, attacking them, and trying to make them uncomfortable.”

A lot goes into the defensive product that the Quakers display on the court each game. Scouting opponents, putting together a game plan, and implementing that game plan are all key factors, but Mastroianni believes that his teams defensive effort comes from the enjoyment they get out of it.

“It’s probably the best part,” Mastroianni said. “They get enjoyment knowing who they have to guard and what they like to do. That’s probably not the norm at the high school level. For them to be that engaged, all the credit goes to them. They watch the film, they see things defensively and to us, that’s a great sign.”

But there’s always room for improvement. On Friday, in their 11th game of the season, Blackhawk’s Sammy Fusetti and James Darno became just the third and fourth players to score 15 or more points on the Quakers when they each scored 19.

“We’re looking at the whole rather than just the part,” Mastroianni said. “I still see things that we can get better at because we’re obviously still trying to get better, on the defensive end as well.”

Quaker Valley will have plenty of time to improve in those areas with 10 games remaining on its schedule in the regular season. And this time around, with a prolific offense and a stout defense, the Quakers are hoping they can take it one step further this season.

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